Installing and deploying more than 1,100 Wave 2 access points inside Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots, is no easy task -- but solution provider Carousel Industries is jumping on the opportunity.

As CenturyLink says it will cut 8 percent of its staff to offset revenue declines in its legacy voice business, partners say the company could be trying to build a new culture around the cloud and other newer technologies.

'The timing for this technology is perfect with the growing interest in cloud applications, but there's not a lot of providers doing [SD-WAN] in an as-a-service model,' says one Masergy Platinum partner.

Gahn Lane, vice president, ISV and federal channels for CenturyLink Business, shares his vision for his new role, how he will be working with fellow channel executives, and what partners can expect this year.